Here - HANDBRAKES & HAIRPINS

Turkish driver Burcu Cetinkaya
becomes IRC’s fi rst lady driver
Burcu Cetinkaya will become the fi rst female driver to contest
an expanded programme of Intercontinental Rally Challenge
events when she starts her IRC campaign on Rally d’Italia-
Sardegna from 04 - 06 June.
Cetinkaya, from Istanbul, will drive a Peugeot 207
Super 2000 with support from Turkey’s Peugeot importer. She
will also contest the asphalt rounds in Ypres, Madeira and Zlin;
the gravel events in Azores and Scotland, and the mixedsurface
Rallye Sanremo. A decision on whether or not she
competes on the Cyprus Rally, the IRC’s other asphalt/gravel
event, will be taken in late August. Cicek Guney will continue
in her role as Cetinkaya’s navigator.
“To drive a Super 2000 car has been my dream and
the Peugeot has been a very successful car in the IRC for the
last few seasons so it is a good choice,” said Cetinkaya, 29.
“Also, the support and coverage Eurosport gives to the IRC is
very good and very important for my sponsors. It’s one of the
main reasons why I chose the IRC.”
Cetinkaya is no stranger to IRC competition having
contested the Geko Ypres Rally and Barum Czech Rally Zlin in
the past.
She is planning to test on gravel and tarmac in the
coming months in preparation for her IRC bid.
- Credit: www.ircseries.com
Peter Horsey to debut in World Rally
Championship in Turkey
Peter Horsey, the fi rst-ever Kenyan driver to qualify for the
Pirelli Young Star Drivers Championship is a bouyant mood
ahead of his World Rally Championship event in Turkey in two
weeks’ time.
The event will be part of the six rounds of the 2010
WRC Horsey earned as a reward for winning the FIA Pirelli
Young Star Drivers series last year.
“I have gone under different training seasons with
the PSD management team in readiness for my debut in the
WRC event in Turkey. I am looking forward to it with much
anticipation,’’ said Horsey at the end of the KCB Safari Rally
where he fi nished in the fi fth place.
As part of the training programme, Horsey
participated in a round of the British Rally Championship where
he fi nished 15th overall driving a Mitsubishi Lancer EVO10.
“The stages are totally different to what we are used
to in Kenya. They are smoother and tighter making driver
concentration even tougher.’’
Apart from Turkey, the rest of his 2010 WRC
programme will include Portugal, Finland, Germany, France and
Great Britain.
He said his primary goal to fi rst fi nish all the events
without the help of the Super Rally Rules and then look for
better position as each rally progresses.
The Mombasa-based driver will be partnered by
Moses Matuvo of Uganda, thus making him the fi rst indigenous
navigator to compete in a WRC outside Africa.
Horsey added: “Pace notes will play a major role
in how we will be able to perform at the highest level of the
competition. We have move to the number system to improve
our standard of reading pace notes.’’
In addition to the WRC events, Horsey will also
take part in selected rounds of the KCB Kenya National Rally
Championship which do not clash with his other part his
programme.
- Credit: Abdul Sidi
Freddy Loix has targeted a win on his
return to the IRC next month
Freddy Loix will go all out to chase event wins when he returns
to the Intercontinental Rally Challenge on the Geko Ypres Rally
in Belgium this summer.
The 39-year-old has won the asphalt rally on fi ve
previous occasions. Because his IRC campaign will be limited
to four events, Loix has ruled out a title bid and will instead
chase outright wins in his BFO-Skoda Rally Team Fabia S2000,
starting on home soil from 24-26 June.
“Because I’m only doing four IRC rounds I can’t think
about the title so my priority will be rally wins,” said Loix, who
has scored a total of three IRC event wins during his career. “I
am very excited about returning to the IRC and I’ve been told
the Skoda Fabia is very easy to drive.”
In addition to tackling the Ypres Rally, Loix will also
compete on the IRC rounds in Zlin and Sanremo. A fourth
event will be added to his schedule although a decision on what
rally this will be has yet to be taken.
- Credit: www.ircseries.com
Rally-Tire.com joins growing list of
Rally America Contingency Partners
NEWS
Offi cials with Rally America, Inc. announced recently that
Rally-Tire.com has recently joined the growing list of
companies participating in the Rally America Contingency
Program for the 2010 Rally America National Rally
Championship.
Following each of this year’s remaining four Rally
America National Championship rally events, qualifi ed Rally
America Regional and National participants in the
Rally-Tire.com Contingency Program will be entered into a
random drawing to win two $250.00 Rally-Tire.com gift cards.
These gift cards can be redeemed towards the purchase of
a variety of rally-oriented products carried by Rally-Tire.com
including Lassa Racing Tires, Arcasting Racing Wheels and
Sabelt Racing Equipment.
The winning entries, one National competitor and one
Regional competitor, will be drawn just prior to the awards
banquet following each of the remaining four rounds of the
2010 Rally America National Championship season – the
Olympus Rally in Ocean Shore, WA (24 - 25 April), the Oregon
Trail Rally in Portland, OR (14 - 16 May), the Susquehannock
Trail Performance Rally in Wellsboro, PA (04 - 05 June) and the
New England Forest Rally in Newry, ME (16 - 17 July).
When reached for comment, Rally-Tire.com owner
Burak Tuglu said: “We’re very excited to have formalized
our support of North American rally teams who prefer our
hand-selected products via this program. The Rally America
National and Regional Championships attract some of the
best rally teams from around the United States as well as
some International teams. We believe that our products are
best utilized at rally racing events; they respond well to the
high demands of fi erce rally competition and we hope our
participation in the Rally America Contingency Program will
help to increase the possibilities of competing rally teams.”
Details regarding the Rally-Tire.com 2010 Rally
America Contingency Program can be found at
www.rally-america.com/contingency or by contacting Rally
America directly.
- Credit: www.rally-america.com